Vatican City: The latest report released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) based on the findings of independent auditing agency StoneBridge Business Partners records a decrease of 1,149 allegations of abuse compared to the previous audit year.
A significant decline existed in the numbers from the previous auditing period, according to the report on diocesan compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”
The Annual Report released this week by the USCCB Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection stated that the decrease is due in large part to the resolution of allegations received as a result of lawsuits, compensation programs, and bankruptcies. Of the allegations received, 2,284 (74%) were first brought to the attention of the diocesan/eparchial representative by an attorney.
This is the nineteenth Annual Report since 2002 when the U.S. Bishops established the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”, a comprehensive set of procedures to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, and made a promise to protect and a pledge to heal. The Charter was approved overwhelmingly by the bishops during their historic general assembly in Dallas in June 2002, in response to the devastating abuse scandal that emerged in the previous months in the Archdiocese of Boston and lead to investigations of clerical misconduct nationwide. The document established a zero-tolerance policy that saw clergymen against whom abuse allegations were substantiated being removed permanently from ministry and minimum standards for each diocese to follow as they reviewed abuse allegations.
192 of 197 dioceses and eparchies participated in the audit: 70 dioceses/eparchies were visited either in person or via remote technology and data was collected from 122 others. During the audit period, the U.S. dioceses and eparchies provided outreach and support to 285 survivors and their families. Continued support was provided to 1,737 victims who had reported in prior audit periods.
The report, which also includes a survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) of Georgetown University, further notes the ongoing work of the Church in continuing the call to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. In 2021, the Church conducted 1,964,656 background checks on clergy, employees, and volunteers. In addition, in 2021, over 2 million adults and over 2.4 million children and youth were trained in how to identify the warning signs of abuse and how to report those signs. Of the entities undergoing the audits, three dioceses and one eparchy were determined to be in non-compliance with the Charter due to inactivity on the part of their Review Boards, which subsequently have been convened.
Commenting on the report, the USCCB’s Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People and the National Review Board emphasize that the audit and continued application of zero-tolerance policies are two important tools in the Church’s broader program of creating a culture of protection and healing that exceeds the requirements of the Charter. Since its adoption and subsequent Vatican approval, the Charter has been revised three times, most recently in 2018, to adapt to changing situations surrounding the question of abuse of minors and vulnerable adults.
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